The Backlash
Many major corporations have withdrawn or scaled back their 2025 Pride initiatives – some by choice, many under pressure, and one that had its participation ruled out by the organizers. What was the reputational impact?
To find out, MAPS analyzed the Pride-related media coverage and social commentary around eleven of the most high-profile of these companies. There are very different reactions to their withdrawals.
This chart shows how much coverage and commentary each brand received, relative to their expected share of voice:
AB InBev and Diageo received very high levels of coverage and commentary following their Pride exits, far exceeding their typical share of voice. Conversely, Target’s share of voice is actually a little lower than we might have expected..
What’s driving these differences? Why is coverage and commentary for some of these brands not what we might expect?
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Six Factors That Predict Backlash
MAPS identified six risk factors that determine whether a brand is more or less likely to face backlash for this type of decision:
- Local Event Impact. Whether the withdrawal fundamentally compromises a specific Pride event’s funding, programming, or viability.
- Sector Risk. How culturally and historically linked the brand’s industry is to LGBTQ+ issues (e.g., alcohol, retail, entertainment = higher risk).
- Timing. When the withdrawal occurred; actions during or near Pride season (i.e., May–June) attract more scrutiny.
- Communication Method. Whether and how withdrawal is communicated, e.g., announcement vs. silence vs. third-party disclosure.
- LGBTQ+ History. The brand’s prior visibility and commitment to LGBTQ+ issues.
- Political Context. How vulnerable the company has been historically to cultural backlash around DEI issues.
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We used the MAPS Risk Index to score each of these companies on each of these six factors. Looking at the total numbers, AB InBev and Diageo are by some distance the most at risk:
How do these scores correlate with the backlash the companies received in media coverage and social media commentary?
Backlash Isn’t Random: How Risk Scores Explain It
There is a very strong correlation – an R² of 0.78 – between a company’s risk score and the extent to which its Pride coverage exceeds expected volume.
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Pride-related backlash isn’t random, or unpredictable. It’s driven by six key factors. When it comes to managing reputational risk, knowing how your organization measures up on a risk index like this is critical to your decision-making and communications.
This applies not just to Pride, but for any issue where cultural expectations are shifting. It helps you think ahead: when to take a stand, how to communicate your decision-making, and indeed how your past actions might shape future reactions. In a fast-moving environment, a simple index like this can be the difference between reacting under pressure…and communicating with purpose.
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